


A Soft Epilogue

by NaomiJameston



Series: Drabbles [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Post-War, Slice of Life, bittersweet fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:21:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26067136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaomiJameston/pseuds/NaomiJameston
Summary: Public opinion after the War has driven Ron and Harry away from the Wizarding World, but Hermione is stubbornly hanging on. Can Severus convince her it's time to leave, too?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Series: Drabbles [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1742050
Comments: 26
Kudos: 71





	A Soft Epilogue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Viridiantly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viridiantly/gifts).



> With so much love to my beautiful beta Blackcoffee13 and to Viridiantly for the prompt. The quote referenced in the title and at the end is from a poem by Nikka Ursula: https://cardiamachina.co.vu/post/126917973423/i-think-we-deserve-a-soft-epilogue-my-love

The war had been so hard. So long. So draining. Severus had despaired of ever seeing another moment’s peace at many points during his tenure as a spy- and plenty of times while he’d been a teacher- but the eerie silence after the war was worse.

Everyone walked on eggshells. No one smiled or greeted each other. The pain they shared- the sides they’d chosen and the things they’d said and the actions they’d taken or hadn’t- was still too raw. Nerves were frayed-

But none of that stopped Hermione Granger, Order of Merlin, First Class, and the newest member of the Wizengamot, the Unspeakables, and of course, the most outspoken of the Golden Trio.

The Daily Prophet was constantly quoting her, often complimentary but not always. And as time went on, the compliments became fewer and farther between. The contractors became louder. Rita Skeeter regained her position as a reporter and wasted no time in spreading the most vicious rumors about the girl.

Lovers- both real and imagined- were interviewed and encouraged to spill their poison against her. Past classmates spoke with varying levels of vitriol. Marietta Edgecomb’s interview was a full page and included a large picture of her forehead, on which the word “SNEAK” still stood in bright spots. Edgecomb’s eyes filled with tears in her picture and her lips pulled back in a snarl.

But Hermione seemed impervious to the rumors, innuendo, and hatred against her. She pushed forward reforms and helped Kingsley restructure the government, loudly spouting his words as though they were her own. She stepped over people who were in the way of progress, no matter who they were or how long their family had been magical. She made enemies left, right, center, and behind.

The first assassination attempt turned the tide of public opinion back in her favor, but only for a time. When she didn’t quietly retire to the relative obscurity her fellow Trio members enjoyed- with Ron and his family residing in Hampshire, and Harry and his somewhere in the wilds of Scotland- public opinion turned again.

She became known as the She-Wolf, Kingsley’s Bitch, and Nasty Natty. Her appearance was constantly scrutinized- her hair being the subject of many articles. If she wore loose robes and business pants underneath, she was attempting to obscure her femininity and setting a bad example for young women. But if she appeared in a dress, she was a Jezebel whoring herself for Kingsley. If she spoke out against an injustice, she was merely a mouthpiece with no thoughts of her own. But if she said nothing, then she had failed in her duty to protect the weak and downtrodden. 

Over the years, the words may have changed but the general disapproval of the public remained. She never seemed to do anything right- she was unmarried. She was dating a hated man, one whose loyalties were always in question, and he’d been her teacher, besides. She was too young to wield as much power as she did. And worst of all- she hadn’t produced any children. Of all the things Wizarding Society couldn’t forgive, that was the worst. If she supported the expansion of their world and their kind, but failed in her duty to bring up the next generation, how could any person worth their magic take her seriously? She was a walking contradiction. 

Ten years to the day after the final battle, Severus scanned the annual ball he and many other key figures had been roped into. He could see the Potters and many Weasleys- their red hair being unmistakable. He could see Lovegood, Longbottom, and their brood. Thomas and Finnegan were wrapped around each other as they often were. Further afield the Weasley twins and Jordan were spiking the punch. Kingsley was speaking with the eldest Malfoy with typical animation. They were likely complaining about the weather but Kingsley would always show a politician’s enthusiasm.

But Hermione was nowhere to be seen. Severus scanned the room again, slower this time, but the result was the same. She was missing. Rita Skeeter was also on the hunt, her quill in her hand and her lips pulled tight as she searched. She seemed to sense Severus’ eyes on her and glanced up, but Severus had already backed away from the balcony railing. He stalked down the wide hallway of the Ministry-owned hall with confidence. He’d been there often enough.

And he knew where Hermione would be.

The door to the library was closed tight, a standard Ministry spell locking it. A subtle Notice-Me-Not was placed on the door and gently pushed Severus’ gaze away. It was a clever bit of spellwork and very typical at these Ministry functions- it kept the populace away from areas the Ministry didn’t want them poking, either for fear of discovery or for fear of their budgets.

Severus snorted. While normally such a spell would have been used, he knew this particular door was not included in the docket of hidden rooms. And he would know, since he’d written the damn thing.

With a wave of his hand, he removed the lock spell and gingerly opened the door. Shuffling across the room ceased immediately, but not quickly enough for him to have not noticed. The curtain twitched as someone passed behind it, and he caught the telltale sound of sniffling.

“Hermione,” he sighed as he swept the curtain aside. She stood with her back to him, pretending to stare out the window. Her eyes swam with tears and droplets on her cheek shone with moonlight. Severus wrapped an arm around her. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” she asked, her voice surprisingly even, despite her tears.

“For whatever has upset you,” he replied. They stood looking through the window at the glittering array of people arriving and departing from the ball. “That Skeeter woman has-”

“It’s not just her,” Hermione said with a small shake of her head. “She’s a part of it, of course, but she isn’t the only one. They’d all love to see me fall.”

Severus opened his mouth to protest but Hermione interrupted.

“It’s true. Ten years, Severus. It’s been ten bloody years of this bullshite. Those ungrateful bastards don’t want me to save them from themselves. They’d rather see the world burn around them while they sip their pumpkin juice and feel superior.”

She swiped at the freshly falling tears. “But I can help them! I can make the whole world better if they would just let me and-”

“Hermione,” Severus interrupted with a squeeze around her shoulders. “You are one person. And while you are the strongest, most incredible person I know, you cannot work miracles.”

“I most certainly can, too. Who do you think convinced the Wizengamot to pass all those laws?”

Severus rolled his eyes. “Kingsley, and they’d all say the same.”

“But he didn’t-”

“I know and they know and the entirety of Wizarding Britain knows that he’s not the one calling the shots. But Hermione- no, hush now- this can’t go on. You cannot save what doesn’t want to be saved.”

“But I can-”

“Hermione,” he cupped her cheek so that she was forced to look at him. Her eyes were anguished with helpless frustration. “You’ve done so much for so many for so long. Now it’s time to do something for yourself.”

“How… How can I possibly walk away?” Her chin quivered. “There’s still so much to do-”

“Let others do it, then.” He pressed a soft kiss to her lips and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. “I think we deserve a soft epilogue, my love. We are good people and we’ve suffered enough.”

Hermione crumpled into his arms and cried tears of relief into his chest. Some time later, two letters of resignation appeared on Kingsley’s desk, but by the time he read them, Severus and Hermione were long gone.


End file.
